NOTES FOR VISITORS: Welcome to the Alaska Outdoors Supersite forums! The contents of our forums are viewable by anyone, and may be read by clicking the forum headings below. To post in the forums, you must register at THIS LINK. To upgrade or change your membership, please login and select Upgrade > Supporting Membership. Your account will now be managed separately from the forum system. Forum login is separate from account management but shares the same username and password.

IMPORTANT: If you cannot log-in, please reset your password using our new 6 character format through THIS LINK and click Forgot Password. An email message with a reset link will be sent to your email address.

Float Huntting Suggestions

I have always wanted to hunt Alaska. I have never been. Since I cannot see myself paying $10,000 or more for fully guided hunt anytime in the near future, I thought abou a DIY float hunt. Somtime in '08 or 'probably '09. I know some might call me crazy, especially since I am a first timer, but any suggestion is appreciated.

Suggestion

You need to watch "Alaska Hunting Adventure, 700 miles Alone" A DVD thats 75 minutes long. Its about this guy that does it alone floats the Sheenjek all the way down to the porcupine and on to the yukon, a great video on an arctic hunt for sheep, caribou and Moose...produced by Buck publishing, they have it in Sportsmans and I got mine from Cabelas...CK

Budget??

one of the first things to do is to figure out your budget. you didnt mention if you were going by yourself or with a buddy or 2. Once you have a number figured out for you budget than you can decide on your mode of transportation to and from the drop off / pick up.

My personal experience is that 2 guys can do a road system float hunt for under $1000 total. Granted we already had most the gear but it can be done for cheap.

Float hunt

I would advise you to check out the DVD and book "Float Hunting Alaska" by Larry Bartlett. It is very informative. This website as well as PristineVentures.com has alot of info.
There is a wealth of knowledge between Larry as well as Mike Strahan. that roams this web sight. You will again a wealth of knowledge with both.

Books

Read Larrys book and Order Mikes. I think that it is shipping pre orders this month and the web site says book stores next month. Between the 2 you'll have a good idea of what you are getting yourself into. I just did a successful float for the first time with my wife with NO PROBLEMS but it was due to planning and planning and planning. Spend the money and rent a sat phone!! Good luck.

There is a book titled "Floating Alaska's Rivers" can't remember the arthor now, but it list all the rivers that are floatable. The ones on the road system, and the one that have to be flown into. My partner and I usually float everyother year. We usually use a river that can be reached by the road system. With a little reasearch one can be found that is not too crowded, and is productive.

AK-AZ I am in El Mirage out by Surprise. As far as everybody else that has responded. Thank you for the information. Not sure of a budget just yet, but there will be 2-3 people max. And as far as planning, that is why I am starting now and shooting for 2009, 2008 probably not likely. I want to do this right and from what I here Alaska is not the place to go off half cocked. Thanks again for all the info, keep it coming.

float hunt suggestions

Larry Bartlett would be my suggestion. I went with Larry this past September, his services and soar rafts were bullet proof. It was my first float hunt in alaska, and my expectations were exceeded. I did a drop hunt in 2005 the trip was fun, but it did not hold a candle to Larrys float hunt. He will be straight forward with you and will not B.S. you.

Air Taxi

Squirrel hunter, what river are you floating? because the reason I ask is because if your floating a river in the brooks or up north then you might want to fly an air taxi out of Fairbanks or outside of fairbanks, the less flight time the more money you save...just a suggestion

air taxi

At this point I'm looking at all possibilities for an unguided float or drop off moose hunt out of Anchorage for me and one buddy . It will be a first hunt in Alaska and I'm starting from scratch. Air fare to the state and back will expensive enough, so I need to control cost as much as possible to make it feasible. To answer your question, at this point I don't know which river. I'm hoping to find out where to go from a wealth of information I know people in this forum have. On my budget, I don't expect to be taken to untouched wilderness, or kill the biggest bull in Alaska . I would like to have a quality hunting experience that won't bankrupt me. It has occurred to me that I may have the cart before the horse here, but I had to start somewhere.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

River

The 40-mile rivers a good float, some of the biggest Moose have come out of there, but there are others way up north. The key to any float hunt is one word...LOGISTICS!!!!!! Do the Sheenjek and have someone pick you up on the Yukon thats a suggestion...k

costs

what is your budget like, realisticly you will need about $3500 per person just for the raft and flights to and from the bush, that does not enclude getting you and your gear to AK. You can do a road to road hunt on the cheap but dont expect to take anything but maybe a meat bull and dont expect to be alone

Great suggestions

Good suggestions on Larry and Mike both offer services that meet your needs and both provide basic information at no cost. Extended services do cost however both can be worth the money depending on your needs and expectations.

Thanks G.B for the plug.

If your looking at Saving money floating out to the road system is the way to go. There are several rivers from Anchorage to Cold Foot that do offer access back to the road concerning float hunting.

In the Fairbanks area you have the Delta river out fo Tangle Lakes but you have to carry all your gear about 800 yards to avoid the Class IV falls but still all and all a doable hunt. You also have the Birch which has a some what low population of Moose but if hunted correctly can produce decent bulls on any given year that hunt has no plane ride involved so you can cut cost and still be in the middle of no place alone. The Wood River is an option more popular as time goes on but still a respectable hunt in any book, I wolud also look at the upper Chena 80 mile back to CHSR.

One of your biggest concerns float hunting towards roads is boat traffic when you close enough the Salcha is a prime example of a well used river that can be very busy with boat traffic all the way up to 100 mile.

Being that you are going in cold watching videos and reading all the informaiton you can get your hands on is well worth the 50 bucks you might spend.

Mike's book from what I been hearing is gong to be on the shelve soon and I do mean soon, Larry's can be obtain from the forum.

Bottom Line - Make your expectations, set a Value or money your willing to spend to accomplish your hunt, keep asking questions, and plan plan plan!!!!

If you do not have all the required gear to accomplish a float hunt consider renting a package deal if you have Military connections consider MWR or get price quotes from local outfitters like me and compare same goes with inflatable rentals.

Prices flux if your considering float hunting towards a Fairbanks Road call Wright Air nomral cost for Wood River Helo-Craft 206 $600.00 to Gold King or Wood River Drop off cost up to 700 Lbs give or take a pound or two. Float out to Nenana no cost!!!! Will require two planes to get you two people and gear out to the strip. Hunting Tags etc.. lets say $500.00 total including your moose tag, Rental inflatable 10 days lets go 15ft NRS Otter $80.00 per day est. $800.00, Food up to you - $200.00 If you bring your own gear i.e tent, cook ware, stove etc... You should be able to accomplish a float hunt for 10 days on most rivers in the Fairbanks area.
$600 per person- Plane
$400- per perons boat rental
$500 - Hunting Tags etc
$200 - Per person Food

AK HUNTERS Comments are good if your considering flying out to a remote location and getting picked up and don;t forgot about the cost to get your meat out from this type of fly in however I promise you there are creeks that flow towards road systems that you will not find pressure or other people on that will allow you a chance to harvest a respectable bull.

Floating out to a Road System dependin on which on eyou choose you should be looking at $1800.00 per person to harvest a Moose.

Mind you that is if you float hunt out to a road system. If you choose a River like the Birch take $600.00 per person out of the figure.

Remember these are not hard figures just a suggested idea of cost you will find some hunts will run you more some maybe less.

Sorry for the over-load just felt froggy! I am sure I will get a comment or two on the prices and locations just trying to help out so the gents in question can get the idea of float hunting options

I did not post any local Anchorage Creeks :-)

Shoot me a P.M if you want to look at the Fairbanks Area Information is always free.

Birch Creek

Same deal as others - send me a PM. I will respond although it may take a few days.

I'm a non-resident and I have floated Birch Creek twice. It's a nice float for beginners (I still figure I'm a beginner after 5 or 6 float hunts). You have lots of great suggestions about videos and people for help. Just pay attention to them.